Warren Sapp, a 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, seven-time Pro Bowler, six-time all-pro, 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and an NFL All-Decade choice for the 1990s and 2000s with Tampa Bay.

Cadillac Williams, the 2005 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ken Dilger, a 10-year NFL veteran who earned a Pro Bowl in 2001 with Indianapolis and won a Super with Valero in Tampa Bay in 2002.

Michael Roos, a 127-game starter for Tennessee who has earned one Pro Bowl and three all-pro honors.

Matt Hasselbeck, 16-year NFL veteran who has earned three Pro Bowls.

Playing career: OL at Boise State, 1979-80.

Art Valero is in his second season as the Rams' tight ends coach in 2014 and his 33rd year overall in coaching. Valero returned to college coaching in 2013 after spending his previous 10 years of coaching in the National Football League with Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Seattle and Tennessee.

In his career, Valero has served as assistant head coach five times and also handled the roles of offensive coordinator offensive line, running backs and tight ends coach.

Valero made a big impact in his first season in Fort Collins as his tight ends combined for 74 receptions, 1,039 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. He provided the guidance to help senior Crockett Gillmore elevate his game to ultimately be selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round (#99 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft after receiving invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine and both the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl.

Gillmore in 2013 earned first-team All-Mountain West honors, leading conference tight ends with 577 receiving yards, third-most by a tight end in CSU history, on 47 receptions. Fellow tight end Kivon Cartwright hauled in 27 passes for 462 yards and six touchdowns to earn honorable mention All-MW recognition.

Valero's most recent position before joining the CSU staff was as assistant offensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans in 2011, following a one-year stint coaching the offensive line for NFC West champion Seattle in 2010. Prior to his year in Seattle, he spent two seasons with the St. Louis Rams, serving as assistant head coach/running backs in 2008 and assistant offensive line coach in 2009.

From 2002-07 Valero served on the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under head coach Jon Gruden. He was hired to his first NFL position in 2002, coaching the tight ends for a Buccaneers team that went on to win Super Bowl XXXVII vs. Oakland. He coached the tight ends again in 2003 before moving to running backs coach for the 2004-07 seasons, with the addition of the assistant head coach title for the final two seasons.

Under Valero's direction, Buccaneers running back Carnell (Cadillac) Williams earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2005, rushing for a team rookie-record 1,178 yards. In 2007, his unit amassed the sixth-best rushing total in franchise history with 1,872 yards. In Valero's six years with the Bucs, the team won the NFC South three times.

Before his tenure in the NFL, Valero coached the college game for 21 years, all as offensive line or assistant head coach. Valero spent four years (1998-01) as assistant head coach/offensive line at Louisville, where he and McElwain coached alongside one another for two years, when McElwain coached wide receivers and special teams. At Louisville Valero played a key role in guiding one of the NCAA's most explosive offenses, ranking No. 1 in the nation in total offense in 1998.

Prior to his tenure at Louisville, Valero served as assistant head coach/offensive line at Utah State for three seasons (1995-97) and handled the same roles at Idaho before that (1990-94). He added the responsibility of offensive coordinator for his final season in 1994 and guided the Vandals to the top total offense, scoring and rushing numbers in the conference. During Valero's tenure, the Vandals posted a combined record of 44-18, made four appearances in the national collegiate Division I-AA playoffs and produced four 1,000-yard rushers.

Valero began his coaching career at his alma mater, Boise State, from 1981-82, and followed that with coaching stops Iowa State (1983), Long Beach State (1984-86) and New Mexico (1987-89), all as offensive line coach.

Born May 12, 1958, in Whittier, Calif., Valero was a two-time letterwinner along the offensive line at Boise State in 1979 and '80 where he played on the 1980 NCAA I-AA national championship squad. Valero is a 1981 graduate of Boise State with a degree in sociology and psychology. He and his wife, Alicia, have five children, sons Kyle and Brandon, and daughters Kimberly, Alexa and Cami.